Joan Jett epitomizes rock ‘n’ roll, and she’s one of the big reasons the shag haircut has enduring popularity in the music world.
During the 1970s and ’80s, Joan Jett pioneered the LA glam-rock scene and fronted the all-girl rock band The Runaways. Music-wise, Joan Jett scored both critical and popular success — first with The Runaways and then as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts — and she has since been credited as a predecessor of the 90s era riot-grrrl punk movement. Style-wise, Jett has been no less of a trendsetter, inspiring other artists, developing urban street style, and even runway fashion.
“A big influence on my style was the movie Cabaret—that sort of decadent, heavy-makeup, ’20s flapper-girl vibe,” she said of her hair inspiration. “Also, I was a big British glitter-music fan, so that means Bowie and T. Rex and Suzi Quatro, who was having hits at the time. She was wearing black leather, and she had a shag haircut. Keith [Richards] had that haircut. Bowie had a wacky shag there for a minute, and a lot of the band the Sweet had shag haircuts. Those were all bands I was listening to, so I sort of went with that.”
Jett’s black and banged long shag (borderline mullet) not only inspired wannabe rebels in the ’70s with its raunchy flare, it continues to be recreated by celebrities today. Johansson rocked a similar do when she was still trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood, and Kristen Stewart reincarnated the cut to play Jett in The Runaways.
This rocker style is edgy and cool. It makes a statement, and that’s why it is still so loved.
During the 1970s and ’80s, Joan Jett pioneered the LA glam-rock scene and fronted the all-girl rock band The Runaways. Music-wise, Joan Jett scored both critical and popular success — first with The Runaways and then as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts — and she has since been credited as a predecessor of the 90s era riot-grrrl punk movement. Style-wise, Jett has been no less of a trendsetter, inspiring other artists, developing urban street style, and even runway fashion.
“A big influence on my style was the movie Cabaret—that sort of decadent, heavy-makeup, ’20s flapper-girl vibe,” she said of her hair inspiration. “Also, I was a big British glitter-music fan, so that means Bowie and T. Rex and Suzi Quatro, who was having hits at the time. She was wearing black leather, and she had a shag haircut. Keith [Richards] had that haircut. Bowie had a wacky shag there for a minute, and a lot of the band the Sweet had shag haircuts. Those were all bands I was listening to, so I sort of went with that.”
Jett’s black and banged long shag (borderline mullet) not only inspired wannabe rebels in the ’70s with its raunchy flare, it continues to be recreated by celebrities today. Johansson rocked a similar do when she was still trying to make a name for herself in Hollywood, and Kristen Stewart reincarnated the cut to play Jett in The Runaways.
This rocker style is edgy and cool. It makes a statement, and that’s why it is still so loved.
